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The Cigar Girl’s history began in the Roaring Twenties, an Era during which America enjoyed considerable prosperity, particularly in urban centers. Fueled by this newfound wealth, entrepreneurial restaurateurs began to expand their establishments from pure eateries to “supper clubs,” a destination where patrons could spend an entire evening eating, drinking (despite Prohibition), socializing, and listening to live music.

The Cigar Girl was a common fixture at such clubs. She was always a pretty, young girl who wore a bright (often red trimmed in black), short saloon-style dress and sported a pillbox hat. Around her neck, she holstered a tray with a considerable selection of cigars, cigarettes, and various other tobacco products and sundries. Depending on the venue or the wishes of the restaurant’s owner, she might also carry candy, snacks, drinks, chewing gum, flowers, or novelty items.

The job of a Cigar Girl was more than just selling tobacco products; she was part of the ambiance, mixing among the patrons while adding a touch of class and full-service. The Cigar Girl relied on her charm, quick wit, and a flirtatious manner to catch the attentions of businessmen, who would tip graciously for the pleasure of speaking with such a beautiful young woman. She was often described as being the “life of the party,” and thus while refrains of “cigars, cigarettes?” certainly enticed tobacco buyers, most customers were paying as much for her company as they were for her wares (and no, not as prostitutes).

Within a few short years the Cigar Girl archetype had been well-established by Hollywood, which had depicted her in many films of the time, and when the Eighteenth Amendment was finally repealed in 1933, she had caught on as a cultural icon: Cigar Girls could be found in restaurants, social clubs, bars, casinos, and even airports. Her popularity continued to soar through the postwar era into the 1950s, when she could be seen at sporting events and in the lobbies of theaters and music halls during intermissions.

Audrey Hepburn as Frieda the Cigarette Girl in Laughter In Paradise (1951)

Model/actress Josie Maran in the Aviator (2004)

But eventually, the Cigar Girl fell victim, as so many things do, to modernity. The mid-1950s brought automated vending machines which worked for free, and could earn the venue-owner a tidy profit besides. Changing attitudes about smoking aside, the Cigar Girl was increasingly seen as a bygone relic.These days, you are more likely to see a Cigar Girl at a Halloween or Costume Party than you are inside a big city night club or hotel. But even though she has been largely relegated to a romantic yesteryear curiosity, there is still a demand for her services. There are still companies today (like Mrs. Bella’s Dolls) that specialize in hiring out models for private parties and corporate events whose organizers are looking to add a touch of old-school sophistication to their event. And though cigars and cigarettes can still be seen on their trays, their are Vape alternatives also in evidence.

My Cigar Girl was a long-time in the making. I knew the first time I saw the basic saloon-style dress and stockings from Super Duck a few years back what I was going to do with it. It’s taken me a very long time to gather all the things I wanted her to carry. I gave her as big a variety of items as I could reasonably fit on the handmade tray, wanting to make sure she could cover the gamut of possible items her patrons might desire.This little project reminded me of when I turned 18 (just before going overseas while serving in the Air Force) when my Dad took me to the Playboy Club he belonged to (not sure they still have Playboy Clubs today). While there weren't Cigar Girls dressed like this one or the lovely ladies in the photos, there were Bunnies acting in the same role. It was a fun and nostalgic trip down memory lane for me. Hope you enjoy.

The tray is made from balsa wood and wrapped with ribbon. Although I don’t show it, the cash box (all in black w/ a red ribbon pull) does actually contain different denominations of US currency.

Valkyries are the Norse Goddesses who choose those who dies with valor in battlefield to bring them to the afterlife hall of the slain in Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. Sarah, the most powerful Valkyrie in Valhalla is Odin’s favorite, adored as a Goddess of War on earth by the mightiest warriors and envied by her sisters, her powers are second only to Odin himself!Skarah, The Valkyrie 2018 ARH Studios Inc.

Brand New. Shipping with a tracking number.Scale: 1/6. Just for 1/6 scale high-end action figure customizing.Details: Please see the description photos. If you have any questions or doubt, please contact us.Note: Head sculpt and body are not included in the product.Packing List:

ABlack one-piece swimsuit*1Black high heels*1 pair

BWhite one-piece swimsuit*1White high heels*1 pair

CRed one-piece swimsuit*1Black high heels*1 pair

This product does not contain the head , body , weapons.During the booking period,an alloy long sword is given in the picture.

Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew) is a fictional superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in Marvel Spotlight #32 (cover-dated February 1977), and 50 issues of an ongoing series titled Spider-Woman followed.

Just finished putting together a new look for Cara (Verycool Villa). Just as Moonbase and Shazzdan has said in the useful items section, the skateboard is a bit too small. However, I do think it's somewhat passable when she's holding it or attached to the backpack, but when I tried to pose her skating it, it's just doesn't work.

Most of the outfit was procured from a few set. The white tube top and the leather bracelet (on the right hand) I made from scratch, while the necklace and pendant I modded it from an earring I got from the flea market.

Today we are pleased to announce the details for The X-Files 1/6 Agent Scully collectible figure. This figure will be available for pre-order at www.threezerohk.comfor limited time only, starting from May 3rd, 09:00AM Hong Kong time; available for $168 USD / 1310 HKD. In addition, we will also offer a deluxe edition, which includes a trench coat accessory for $180 USD / 1400 HKD. As always, worldwide shipping is included in both prices.

Highly detailed figure featuring life-like realism that is crafted with the authentic likeness of the FBI Agent Dana Scully as portrayed by Gillian Anderson in the ‘The X-Files’ television series.

Received this figure some time ago, no time to do review. Now here it is.

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2 layers of goodies here. No stand, but with a base. Package is in order, no broken pieces.

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The main figure. Not very close to the promo, but good enough to pass.

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Heres the layers of clothing. No undergarment, i think. I didn't strip her beyond her outer coat. I took off the boots, and it is hollow, which means a phicen body would fit.

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The rest of the accessories. The cool one is the pair of gloved hands. I am disappointed there is no sword. In the novel, she wielded a pair of swords and was almost invincible. There is the golden ball weapon. One of its uses is to allow the girl to sleep on it tying to a tree. Well, i don't believe the figure will be able to balance on that strip of cloth, so i didn't try.

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A closeup picture of the main figure. The hair was quite well braided. This is lacking among many products on the market you can find. I wish they made more of this.

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The base. You attach the main branch to the base using a screw provided. No screw driver thou. At first, the swinging plank wasn't balanced. This can be fixed by readjusting the ropes.

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The figure can stand on its own without a stand. For other pose like one legged, pls use your own stand. The body is quite flexible, good for varying poses. Leg cannot, however, lift as high as a phicen body. Can do split, though. (sword in the picture is not provided)

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My collection of Chinese figures. Running out of space. I believed the Empress is not too happy!!

A few days ago I inquired about posting a repurposed 1:1 item in another thread, at that time I was thinking just a couple of photos a before and after of after of my display case then later I thought I would just to wait and take some new photos of it when I update Ada's office someday but like GF said "as others could presumably get ideas by seeing what you did with that jewelry case" so I thought I would post the whole series here.

Ada's newest piece of furniture a display case for her DC Comics figures & weapons. An old jewelry box that I found at a second hand store for $15.00.

I found the movie quite poor except for Margot Robbie which saves the thing with Jared Leto, so I had very little interest in the figures, but my girlfriend gifted me the prisoner version of Harley Quinn.

I was so surprised by this refreshing and awesome figure while it is very basic, so I decided to build myself a more "iconic" version, just grabbing the head and a few extras to mix with my prisoner Harley.

Introduction◎Body、clothes and anything isn’t referred above are not included ◎This products is 1/6 scaled, not real human-being size.◎Picture was shot with final products not with fine handcraft sample. Might be a little bit different with the one you are going to get, because of the computer monitor, environment lights or personal perspective. ◎Wig needs your careful care, please note.

I've always considered myself more of a customizer/kitbasher and never really bought many boxed sets. Even those would always get tweaked/modded/weathered/painted/taken apart/parts swapped/etc. And until recently I had never bought a HotToys set, they just seemed too pricey and I wasn't that interested in their licenses. But this past year I actually bought several, and aside from Wonder Woman the rest were all Star Wars female characters. Jyn and Rey were pretty much perfect out of the box. Sure they could use a little extra weathering but for once I didn't feel the need to do anything with them other than "play" with them, a very strange experience!

The Jyn deluxe set is especially great, because all the extras are just so cool, but I like the basic look the best, because she kicks total @ss in that scene on Jedha! She can hold a very dynamic pose because she's so solid on her feet, so I had some fun with posing her through some motions. Too bad I don't have a stormtrooper for her to bash!

Rey is not quite as steady on her feet but I managed a couple of poses inspired by movie stills and online images of her.

Nice to have some figures I can just enjoy out of the box instead of steeling myself for weeks/months of work!

The year was 2427 Colonel Wilma Deering & a team of scientists were investigating a new temporal anomaly that had recently formed a few hundred meters outside there sector, appear to be a large oval object floating in mid air with what resembling a frozen explosion of glowing shattered glass in the center, Wilma while investigating the anomaly thought she heard strange nose coming from the anomaly Wilma decided to investigate further after stepping though the anomaly suddenly closed and disappears as quickly as it appeared stranding her in this new unfamiliar land with green pastures seaming to stretch out forever & with no sign of civilization in sight.

Fortunately Scarlett & her team found her & took her back to Queen Aurora castle, Scarlett was fearing for her safety looking like a alien with her yellow outfit & what appeared to be an upside down glass fish bowl on her head,

Hosted on FotkiScarlett & her friends were able to scrounge up some loose armor bit here & there to help her fit in.

They are my top Sports Commentators they have coved everything from sword fighting to drag bike racing and now they have own show. (story line) This is how their Sports Commentators career started. Eventually they become BFF's along the way and now my top mischief makers.

One day this new girl arrived at Queen Aurora castle looking for an audience Queen Aurora.

Hosted on FotkiFor some odd reason Red Sonja took an instant dislike to her. Red Sonja - WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE - THIS IS MY DOMAIN!!! PREPARE TO DIE!!!

Hosted on FotkiScarlett to Sonja - As your General - I order you to STAND DOWN SOLDIER!!! And as your friend she could probably could kick your @ss anyway.

Sonja to Scarlett - I have heard of this one & She's BAD NEWS!!! So Please cousin step aside & let her End her NOW!!!

Which led Queen Aurora to intervene and ordered a Grudge Match to settle their differences.

Some of you may have wondered what I meant by my top mischief makers and were thinking what possible trouble could these two littleangels could get into right? So let me tell you last year noticed some odd things going on expressly in my computer room so I set up aspy camera and this what I found Those Sneaky PHICEN's. Originally posted on MWD.

Hosted on FotkiWilma - This is Bad Wolf's computer room setup & this is were he does all computer stuff like his photo editing, his forums & best of ALL his shopping & hopefully for us & my job is to infiltrate his computer room to keep a close eye on his online activities & report back Central Command with my finding when ever he's away & if I find something one of our members don't like then they can stage a lay down strike during his next photo shoot with in protest. Like this one did when I found a unflattering post about hr.

Hosted on FotkiWilma - Well we are now making progress the TV is on, ok you run the mouse & I will instructed you how to do it & I will run the keyboard, first left-click it to turn on the computer & hopefully it's only in sleep mode & not shut off & he hasn't added a password yet?

Wilma - Bingo were in OH YEAH!!! Oh my were do we start first? As long as were here I'm in a shopping mood so move the arrow to Monkey Depot.

Hosted on FotkiWilma - Now left click to open it up. Valkyrie - How do know how to do this stuff on a computer??? Wilma - Your so adorable - you really didn't think this is my first rodeo here did you? Where do you think all the newer recruits came from him Ha. Now days he is only interested in that Wonder Woman chick, Thankfully he keeps most of them in their cage or we would be swimming in them.

Hosted on FotkiWilma - Honey I'm home - now put the arrow on Shop By Brand & left click & scroll down until I tell you to stop. Valkyrie - Wilma we should not be doing this it's just plain WRONG!!! Wilma - Have I ever led you astray before Hmm? Valkyrie - No Never. Wilma - Well don't you think it's about time than besides it a lot easier to do with two of here

To help with sorting and searching through this forum as we accumulate more and more topics (threads), I invite all members posting a new topic to add hashtags at the end of the first post. If you have already created a topic, you can go back to it, and edit the first post to include the hashtags of your choice. I have gone through a few topics started by others and myself and included some hashtags as a test, but feel free to add more of your own, where applicable. We do not seem to be limited in number of hashtags, so some redundancy is ok (e.g., both #lordoftherings and #lotr).

By clicking on a hashtag, you will be able to see all topics (threads) tagged with it -- you will be taken to a page containing the first posts in these topics (there may be further posts with additional info and images, so you might want to enter the respective topics and follow through). In Profile you can follow specific hashtags of your choice.

Working list of common hashtags below. You are not limited to this, and feel free to supply additional suggestions; so as to minimize the number of hits during searches, please do not put the # in front of your suggestions, which I will integrate into the list. At any rate this should demonstrate the principle of the thing. There are basically three types of hashtags that would apply: descriptive (like #historical or #outdoors), franchise (like #starwars or #aliens), and maker (like #easyandsimple or #hottoys).

Queen Gorgo is Star Ace's third product from the 300 movies, following upon King Leonidas and Themistokles. She also happens to be my first complete set from this series: I already had the Hot Toys Leonidas and only bought parts of the Star Ace Themistokles. You can find detailed reviews of the aforementioned products (as well as Star Ace's Leonidas) by Michael Crawford here: http://www.mwctoys.com/reviews-all.htm

The historical Gorgo (one of History's first recorded victims of creative and inconsiderate parents where name-giving is concerned -- who names their daughter after a gorgon!?) was the niece and wife of the brave Spartan king Leonidas (himself the offspring of an uncle-niece marriage). She was noted as an outspoken woman, whose good advice was ignored (by her father, for example, to his loss), and who dared to speak out among her fellow citizens. Then again, this sort of assertiveness was expected of Spartan women (to the dismay of other Greeks), and the sort of things she said inevitably reinforced the values and priorities of Sparta's militaristic society (e.g., "come back with your shield or on it!"). The historical Gorgo did not go on to lead Sparta's (largely fictitious) navy to decisive effect at the Battle of Salamis after her husband's death at the Thermopylai. Considering that 300 is about as historically accurate as its parody, Meet the Spartans, I suppose I should not really go down that path. In the 300 movies, Gorgo is portrayed by the beautiful Lena Headey, now better known as Game of Thrones' Queen Cersei.

Packaging: 3.5/4 stars

The rectangular box opens its front cover to reveal the figure and its accessories in a transparent plastic tray, but you need to open the box from the top (or bottom, I suppose), to get to the goodies inside. Everything is pretty collector friendly. The outside of the box features what appear to be images from the highly stylized film, including Greek hoplites pushing Persian troops off a cliff into the sea, a hillside littered with skulls, and the signature blood spatter effect. All this is with a matte finish, but over it is superimposed a glossy still of Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo. As attractive as this is, in a way it backfires: it provides a glimpse at what the product should look like but it does not -- in terms of the actress' features and even her outfit!

Sculpting: 3/4 stars

The face sculpt is nice enough in itself, but it does not seem to capture the features of Lena Headey very well. Despite an attempt to pay attention to detail (like the mole on the right of the nose), to my eyes it seems closer to Daisy Ridley (Rey in the Star Wars sequel trilogy). Looking at images of Lena Headey, it appears to me that the forehead is a bit too tall and vertical, and the face a bit too long. The hair is partly sculpted, partly rooted. The sculpted part of the hair is the front part, around the face. Unfortunately, it is made up of two parts, and the seam line between them is bit more obvious than it should be. The rooted hair is partly held down over the top of the head by sculpted braids, which was nice idea, but once the rooted hair clears the braids, it tends to jut out in an unrealistic manner. Perhaps with enough product one could get it a little more under control. The hair itself is wavy, which is a nice touch and an attempt to replicate the onscreen look.

The toes of the sandaled feet appear rather naively sculpted, and there isn't much in the way of detail there or on the hands. The shield is pitted to make it look worn and damaged, but only in places, while the sword appears perfectly pristine. The body is partly seamless -- the upper torso including the breasts and arms is one piece, and the elbows and ankles are covered by the flexible rubbery material. While the overall shape is pretty decent, there is woefully little detail -- for example, the very pronounced and fine shoulder blades on the back are nowhere to be seen on the action figure. The seam between the upper and lower torso is quite noticeable every time the top pleather strap on the front of the dress slips down a bit, and that happens a lot.

Paint: 3/4 stars

The paint is uneven, with some areas very nicely painted, and others very basic or incomplete. The eyes are nicely done, though perhaps not as glossy as they might have been. The lips and eyebrows are very finely painted, though the eyelashes are a bit too simplistic/obvious, while at the same time failing to make the eyes as expressive as those of the actress. The face shows plenty of subtle paint variation and freckling, but that is not extended to the body, except perhaps for a little bit on the neck. Considering how much of the flesh shows, this is not enough. The finger- and toe nails are painted in a rather modern shade of light pink; I don't know if that is movie-accurate or not. The gold or brass color of the earrings and arm band are perhaps a tad dull, as is the rather flat brown of the sculpted part of the hair. Then there are outright mistakes: the face is painted a slightly warmer shade than the body, and the sculpted sandal straps are not completely painted: the narrow sides are left the same color as the feet.

Articulation: 3/4 stars

The body has very decent articulation which, as so often, is limited by the outfit. Considering what the outfit consists of, this is quite the negative achievement. Shoulder, ankle, neck, abdomen, and waist articulation are great; wrist articulation is more limited. The elbows can bend to a 45 degree angle between upper and lower arm, while the knees can bed to a 90 degree angle between the upper and lower leg. The thigh articulation is more limited, at least in part because of the narrow lower part of the dress. Still, it would be possible to make the figure sit. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to give her wider stances. I do not know what were the functional limitations of the movie costume, but either its costumers or Star Ace are completely ignorant of the nature of ancient Greek clothing, which would have left a long (if concealed) slit on one side of the dress. A better-designed outfit and a better seamless body (like those by Phicen/TBLeague or Jiaou Doll) could have earned this category an easy 4/4.

Accessories: 3/4 stars

Onscreen, Gorgo does not have much in the way of accessories, so their scarcity with the figure is partly excusable. It also depends on your definition of accessories. There are spare parts: two extra hands, making a total of four (or two pairs) -- the relaxed hands she comes with, and the grip hands you can replace them with. There are a couple of additional items that form part of her costume but come separately in the tray: an arm band and a wolf fang necklace. There is also a standard base and stem action-figure stand with a waist-grip; the stand's base features the 300 logo. Then there are a sword and a shield of the same type as Leonidas'. These accessories are nicely sculpted and fit well into the grip hands, and the shield is easy enough to put on her arm (although its flat inner surface is historically inaccurate). The hands swap easily enough without the need for heating.

Outfit: 3/4 stars

Gorgo/Lena Headey wore several similar Greek-ish outfits in the movie, not counting the battle-dress at her (fictional) involvement in the Battle of Salamis. One of these outfits is provided with this product. It is visually fairly accurate, and appears to be made of a linen or linen-like cloth. I have already mentioned the unfortunate tight fit of the lower part of the dress, which ruins the leg articulation. There is a long scarf-like extension of the dress that starts from the front left side of the waist, and is intended to wrap around the back of the dress and be held or wrapped around the lower left arm. To keep it wrapped in place there is a button, but additional futzing may be required to get it to "drape" in a more or less realistic fashion. This is all rooted in the film's unrealistic (or unhistorical) rationalization of Greek dress, where the dress (or tunic) itself would have been one piece, and the almost ubiquitous wrap (or fuller-scale cloak), another. Two pleather straps hold the uppermost part of the dress (also an unhistorical design) into place. The straps passing just under the breasts have the tendency to slip down and reveal the seam between the upper and lower and torso of the figure, requiring extra futzing. As mentioned above, you need to place the arm band and wolf fang necklace on the figure, which is easy enough to do. Another minor shortcoming: the wolf fang is so light, that the string it hands from does not hang realistically.

Fun Factor: 3/4 stars

The articulation limitations get in the way of this figure's potential, but at least she has two buddies to play with: her husband (and uncle!) Leonidas (whether you go for the Hot Toys or Star Ace version) and Themistokles. Of course, a more accurate depiction of the actress would not have hurt. As far as mixing this with more historically-accurate figures (such as the ACI hoplites), that would depend on your tolerance for lack of realism or accuracy. Of course, Star Ace was depicting a movie character, not a real and realistic Spartan queen.

Value: 2/4 stars

This depends on how much you pay for the figure. There are still places (check eBay) where you can find it for under $200, but they are few and far between; in most places she sells for $220-290. That is Hot Toys pricing, and even though Hot Toys itself is not always flawless, this product is not really in the same category. So, for the most part, I would say she is quite overpriced.

Things to watch out for

Nothing unusual. Be gentle with the hair, a few little strands became detached here and there. The figure managed to fall on its face a few times during posing and photographing, and unless I am imagining it, got a little blemish on its nose. I think she also developed a small stain on one shoulder -- but how remains a mystery.

Overall: 3/4 stars

This is a very decent, even good figure, but it is not great. The imperfect likeness, the uneven paint job, the partly limited articulation, are all noticeable, and a significant factor especially at this relatively high price point. Unless you are a completist or a kitbasher or just like the appearance of the figure, you might be disappointed in one or more of these areas. Whether that keeps you from getting this figure is, of course, up to you.

Came across this clothing set on my feed and thought I'd share it here.According to the translation, it only comes with the uniform, hollow boots, a pair of 'black arms', gun and belt. Not sure quality wise how it will be so proceed with caution. Now all we need is a sculpt of Chloe Bennet.Due out this summer.

Cons: Boots incompatible with TBLeague/Phicen bodies that have removable feet and was never mentioned in the marketing material, the stocking's color became flesh and not black, swords are made of fragile material.

Hosted on FotkiSarina - it's such a beautiful day it's it in the mid seventies, oh just listen to those birds singing, nice cool breeze & check out the clouds that one looks butterfly & that over there looks like a unicorn, I just love it out here, I could just stay out here all day.

Sienna's - come on Sarina stop daydreaming & let's go all ready!

Hosted on FotkiSarina - oh come on Sienna just 10 more minutes Please, the beach will still be there!

Hosted on FotkiSarina - ok fine have it your way but your driving! Now help me down!

Hosted on FotkiVampi - come on you two stop yapping lets go all ready, were burning daylight!

Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment - the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain. Black widow, who is one of the deadliest spies in the world, will find herself once again assembling with the Avengers when the greatest cosmic threat ever known descends on Earth.

To get fans ready for the highly anticipated Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War, Sideshow and Hot Toys are excited to officially introduce today the new sixth scale collectible figure Black Widow! Made with meticulous craftsmanship, the movie-accurate collectible is beautifully crafted with striking likeness of Black Widow’s appearance portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the film, the collectible figure features a newly painted head sculpt with mid-length ash blonde real fabric hair, a beautifully tailored Black Widow’s latest outfit with fine detail textures and weathering effect, a variety of weapons including disk shooters, batons, and a specially designed movie-themed figure stand.

Do not miss out on the opportunity to add the new stunning Black Widow to your Avengers: Infinity War collection!

I thought I would try my first thread here. I posted these photos on MWD last fall shortly after receiving my Hot toys Wonder Woman last year, I didn't feel comfortable posting them on OSW.

Hosted on FotkiDonna Troy - Hello big Sis I'm Very Glad you could finally make IT! Everybody was starting to wonder if you were going to make it.Wonder Woman - Hey Donna I'm glad you could come out to welcome here.

Wonder Woman - In a rare lapse of judgment, Dianna Prince realizes she needs a break from the role of Wonder Woman, so she bestows the honor of serving as the world's greatest superheroine to her sister Donna Troy.

Donna Troy - Filling in for her Amazonian sister, Dianna Prince, Donna Troy quickly learns the perils of working as Wonder Woman when she is abducted by CIRCE.

Hosted on FotkiWonder Woman - WHAT THE??? Donna - Oh them they everywhere they just seem to popup nowhere & the they seem to multiply like rabbits.

Hosted on FotkiWonder Woman - OMG!!! Donna - just wait a few minutes the giant one should be showing up any time now.

Hosted on FotkiWonder Woman - Oh look at this one she so adorable, she a mini me! Donna - Oh she looks just like you sis.

I thought I would try out this new forum with a double posting of my thread I just started over at OSW, just to see how it looks and what the experience is like. It was my first new thread posting since the new "regime change," and it was a buggy nightmare just to get it edited. They really do have issues...

Anyway, sorry if some of you have already seen this thread over there!

We are a diverse group, this community, and I'll bet if we were to learn of each other's full range of interests, passions and hobbies, we'd come across some surprising revelations. I'm 100% sure none of you know I am a big opera fan, and I’m not talking about the sudsy kind. I grew up with it (dad was a concert pianist), and have loved it for as long as I can remember.

My favorite opera composers are (in no particular order) Verdi, Wagner, and Mozart, and one of my favorite operas is Die Walküre of Wagner's Ring Cycle. Most of you will recognize the tune of the "Ride of the Valkyries" famously used in Apocalypse Now, and it is a rousing barnburner, especially if performed by a good orchestra and capable Wagnerian singers (becoming an endangered species IMHO). The role of Brünnhilde is central not only to this opera but also to the remaining two operas of the cycle (she doesn't appear in the first one).

Those of you who are familiar with Wagner's version of Nordic/Germanic mythology will know that Brünnhilde is a valkyrie, daughter of Wotan (Odin) and thus immortal. In myths and Wagner's opera she is a shieldmaiden and warrior, with a youthful and beautiful form, but unfortunately for opera fans the extreme vocal demands of the operatic role usually means that the singer who is capable of singing it is a middle aged (or older) woman who is rather "big boned," to put it euphemistically. That is where the original phrase, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings" comes from, actually, referring to the final self immolation scene in Götterdämmerung, where she destroys Valhalla itself and ends the cycle.

Anyway, sorry for all the exposition, I decided to do a 1/6 version of Brünnhilde inspired by the lovely illustrations by Arthur Rackham ca. 1910, but with a slightly less Victorian, more sexy/modern take. Here's the inspiration:

And here's my version:

And here are some more detailed, better lit pics:

Body is TBLeague S23b, head is Kimi KT007 (I gave the hair my usual haircut/style), helmet, breastplate, right brace, spear are from the TBL Captain Sparta figure, with helmet crest removed. White dress and sandals are from Chinese ebay sellers (I modified the skirt a bit). Cloak is from one of the AVP Predators (I think elderly one?). Shield is TBL Red Sonja. The "fish scale" mail is taken from the ACI Greek sets, repainted and sewn/glued onto the white dress—that was definitely the hardest part and required a lot of geometry!

I can guarantee you'll never see a Brünnhilde looking like this in any opera house!